Reviews by ummswimmin:

More User Reviews:

A huge thanks goes out to the kind BA who sent this bottle my way. This was another one I had been trying to get off my list for a while. Served at cellar temp and poured into a snifter, this one was consumed on 01/27/2009.

The pour was very nice. Light hazy amber with a good bit of carbonation sneaking in from the bottom of the glass. Rich head of wite came up over the top and settled down effortlessly into a thin layer of maybe a half an inch that hung out there for a good long while.

The aroma was wonderful. Lots of apple and oak aromas, hints of peaches and a light grain smell. Really very full with the apple like smell coming right up to you without being over powering. Nice touches of bourbon now showing up as it warmed as well. Smooth as could be as I took a big first sip. Warming, with bourbon and apple coating the tongue straight away. Mellow carbonation was just right to let the flavor pop. After taste was a mix of oak, apple, light vanilla hints and a bit of bourbon, masterfully done. Not sure the ABV on this but being a triple I can assume it was up there, but it was one of the most mellow, smooth drinking triples I have ever run across.

Overall this was about as solid of a big beer as you are going to run across. Really just wonderfully done and I am glad I got a chance to try it. (1,317 characters)

Reviewed from notes. Thanks to bmanning for opening this as a slight "fallish" beer we managed to convince Amyliz4 to let us drink during the pumpkin beer tasting.

Poured into a tulip. Appearance is a slightly hazed golden apricot color with a nice head and a bit of lacing. Nose is quite nice with a good bouquet of green apple and some slight sweetness. A bit tart. Taste is light apple with a bit of spice. Good medium feel with a nice carbonation level. Another nice brew from the folks in Pleasantville. (510 characters)

A: A medium golden beer with good clarity. The white head is long lasting leaving a moderate amount of lacing on the glass.

S: A moderate amount of the classic tripple aromas of pepper and orange paired with a light oak aroma. There is a pronounced floral alcohol aroma. Medium-low tropical fruit hops aroma brings a interesting twist to the nose.

T: Sweet and tart backed by some solid oak flavors, having a moderate honey-like malt sweetness and a medium hops bitterness. The alcohol makes its presence know bring. The hops flavor is a medium pineapple and citrus hops character. The balance is somewhat bitter with the hops bitterness being a bit stronger than the malt. The finish is medium while with and aftertaste of hops bitterness and oak.

M: A medium bodied beer with strong carbonation and a moderately-strong alcohol warmth that extends from the palate to the belly.

O: A phenomenal beer that brings together flavors of tropical hops, malt sweetness and oak in an pleasing if not slightly bold manner. (1,017 characters)

Cracked this one with my dad after it being in the cellar until now. Hazy golden yellow pour with lots of carbonation. 1/4" of stark white bubbly head. Tons of bubbles rushing up from the bottom of the glass. Aromas of spice, apple and wood upfront. Bright grains with a nice kick of the Amarillo hops that are still noticeable. Brandy warmth tickles the nostrils as well. Lovely.

First sip brings sweet crisp malts. Lots of spiciness and tropical fruits. Apple comes through nicely. Wood and brandy swirl throughout as it flows down. Finishes mildly sweet with an overall spiced apple feel. The tripel asserts itself well but the apple brandy takes it to a whole new level.

Smooth, good carbonation overall. Easy to drink really and the alcohol heat has mellowed nicely from when I first drank this brew. Yummy stuff and well worth cracking if you have one lying around!! (874 characters)

App-Lighter than I expected from what the people at the brewery said. Golden Straw like color with a small white head, very appealing since I knew although it looked like a american light lager it wouldnt taste like one.Aroma- Awesome, pure greatness. Apple brandy and slight yeasty bread with a hint of american hopsMouth-Slight carb which I love and thin enough to make it easy drinking but full enough to prove its quality.Taste-Well Rounded awesome apple taste, balanced with good malt and american hops. The base Xtra Gold is still there with a solid apple tartness. Kind of a sourness to it which makes the beer complex while still drinkable.Overall- I just love it and everything Captain Lawrence has done thus far. There DIPA is one of the east coasts best if you ask me and this is the first apple brandy beer I've had and I cant see it being second to any other.

Side Note- Should def not be classified as a Triple, The base beer is an American Triple and this is and american sour aged beer. New category should be made lol if not switched cause ppl may get the wrong idea and not want to try this beer. (1,119 characters)

Large green bottle, purchased a few weeks ago (when it first came out) @ the brewery. Pours dark cloudy apricot, under an off white short lasting head and leaving thick and splotchy lacing. Initially this one was aggressively carbonated and prickly on the tongue. After the bottle was allowed to sit open for about 45 mins, the carbonation calmed down and became more appealing and more drinkable. The nose similarly was initially sharp and somewhat off putting , but with time calmed down and became more rounded out. In short this one, IMHO, has some carbonation issues that need some special handling and perhaps will be dealt if and when this one gets brewed and aged in barrels again. Anyway, after a little time to "calm down and cool out" this one smells of alcohol, tastes of alcohol, apple brandy, and candied apple. Its clearly a strong, sweet and currently "hot" beer. I believe Scott said it's about 10%. Its heady, complex, flavorful and currently in need of some more time to age and hopefully "relax" a wee bit. Currently it is a warming, yet tasty and interesting sipper. I've got 10 bottles sitting in my beer closet. I'll give em at least a few more months in the bottle (likely till its gets summary warm in my house) and then continue to crack em open, enjoy em and evaluate how this local (at least to me) offering changes and hopefully improves over time. (1,377 characters)

750ml capped bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. No freshness info.

Pours out a slightly hazy golden color. Nice 1/4 inch or so of white head shows decent retention, decent lacing as well.

Smells really off at first, kind of like a vinious, oxidized concentrate apple/ grape juice. As it warms this diminishes a bit bringing out some nice caramely brandy booze notes and a bit of barrel. A bit of tart green apple comes in as it warms even further.

Concentrate apple juice with a bit of concentrate grape juice, a touch vinious, a bit of tart apple and brandy barrel. Carmel candy green apple. Still tastes a bit oxidized and old, however maybe not as much as the aroma suggested.

Crisp carbonation and just a touch dry, but there is some sweetness mid sip.

I was really planing on liking this beer a lot before I opened it, but it was a bit of a letdown. Most likely an older bottle. It would probably be great if it wasn't for all the oxidation type flavors, right its just topping out as good to OK. I'll have to seek out a fresher bottle. (1,061 characters)

Received this as part of a monster package from 6daysbottomocean in the Whale BIF 3. Had been quite interested to try this.

Appearance- Pours a straw golden out the of the bottle with about a finger of fairly fizzy white head sitting on top. Head dies back fairly quickly to a thin sheet across the top and then just small patches. Some small amounts of lacing.

Smell- Very interesting nose. Smells surprisingly strongly of some citrusy hops, along with a fresh fruity apple aroma, a lot of fruity esters, and a touch of slight yeastiness. I really dig the interesting combination of the apple/apple brandy aroma mixing with fruity esters and hops.

Taste- Taste is very similar with the fresh apple and apple brandy flavors coming through first. Again, I get more of the fruity, citrusy hops, and fruity esters to complement the fruit flavors from the apple brandy. Finishes off with a fairly strong dose of fusel tasting alcohol.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel was satisfactory, but I found it to be a bit thin for the style which was made evident as the beer warmed. Prominent alcohol on the finish also cut down on the drinkability for me as well.

Overall, a very interesting beer. I very much liked the nose on this and thought it had a solid flavor profile as well; however, it could have used a little more heft in the mouth and a little less alcohol on the finish. Definitely try it if you get the chance though. (1,427 characters)

Pale golden pour with creamy white foam, smells of casked brandy. Not sure that it tastes like mom's apple pie like the label suggests but I wouldn't want it to either. Just the right amount of apple and brandy flavors mixed with sweet malts and a minor hop presence to impress upon the drinker that it's still beer. It's easy to get caught up in a high gravity beer like this because it's delicious and doesn't have that sharp boozy quality to keep you in check. (463 characters)

Has a hazy golden hue, along with a fluffy white head full of crisp bubbles, leaving a trail of stringy lacing coating the inside of the glass. This thing smells like straight up sweet, sweet apple juice. Not just apple cider, but freshly made apple juice. There's some mild malty notes on the back end along with a touch of booze. Really quite remarkable.

Taste is more of the same from the nose, with the apple flavorings just taking charge and dictating the entire flavor experience. There's a subtle yeasty quality that appears ever so briefly, lending an added complexity. Underneath the apple onslaught is a definite malt character, providing some balance and unique contrast. The booziness is definitely prevalent on the back end, with the brandy barrel aroma and nuances coming into play. It doesn't state the ABV on this beer, but I'd wager it's at least 10%, as you can really taste it. Mouthfeel is smooth and easy, with a slightly drying finish that's almost chewy.

A very interesting take on the tripel style, which is known for its fruity characteristics. Instead of the typical banana, its a ton of apples, through and through. Quite tasty, but with a definite kick, this one will keep you sipping. (1,291 characters)